Powerful
by Fluffadoodle
Summary: Moon watches the news, remembering the reason why this stupid scandal was so beneath Red and Blue. Originalshipping/Namelesshipping


Moon absently stroked the Rockruff curled by her side, leaning against the chair behind her, legs crossed on the soft carpet. Her face could barely be made out by the too-bright dim light of the television, showing her news she would give anything to not see.

"KANTONIAN CHAMPIONS PROSECUTED FOR SEXUAL INDECENCY" streamed across the bottom of the screen, beneath a split picture of Red, face obscured by his cap as always, and Blue, smirk frozen in a single, happier moment.

Moon remembered the first time she saw the two of them. She was five years old, still in Kanto, when her dad had taken her on a trip up to Indigo Plateau. There was a battle conference, he had explained to her. She hadn't understood what conference meant, but she'd seen battles before - she had been so excited. Plus, she was going with her _dad_!

Now, she could only hang her head in shame as the news reporter started speaking once more.

"Champion Red has been rumored to have pled guilty, but the press has had limited access to official record. Blue released a statement otherwise, and continues to deny that either had engaged in homosexual behavior…"

The conference mostly faded out of her memory over the years. The man in the dragon cape - Lance, as she knew him now - had been good. Blue knocked him out in the semifinals. Then there was the lady with the ice types. Her fiery red hair and bright eyes shone with excitement that refused to match her calm, calculating demeanor. Her Pokemon were tossed to the ground by Red the match after.

"Both champions were spotted last Sunday kissing in Viridian Forest by a young girl, who had allegedly complained to her concerned mother. More reports flooded in after her mother informed the police by others who had seen the two together, and both were arrested Tuesday evening…"

The final battle. That stood out more than anything. In school, Moon had been taught that the most powerful men on the planet were the politicians ruling the nation. Moon knew otherwise. Red and Blue, standing on opposite ends of the battlefield, commanding beasts of immeasurable strength, never once betraying an ounce of fear.

"The scandal has been denounced in statements released from the Kanto Pokemon League, but each mans' relationship history suggests otherwise. Our news team has found it almost certain that they have been engaged in some sort of inappropriate relationship for years now…"

Moon remembers shaking, overwhelmed by the energy, her dad asking if she was okay, and her saying no _, no,_ she just needed to see more… She needed to do that…

Blue's Pidgeot, nothing like the ordinary ones in the wild. Wings spread in the sky, tail feathers streaming glamorously, confidence and arrogance blended and backed up by raw, unfiltered strength, and Red's neon yellow Pikachu, crackling, sparking, darting to and fro, arcing electricity that the bird dodged with ease and grace.

Suddenly. Suddenly, suddenly, _suddenly_ , the bird plummeted out of the sky, smashing directly into the little yellow beast, and the world lit up.

"LGBT activists are rioting all over the region, and police have arrested seven protesters thus far…"

The Exeggutor. Moon couldn't remember how the pain felt, but knew it had been there. She remembered holding her head in pain, still refusing to take her eyes off the battlefield, and the Pikachu was out. Red's face remained flat and even as he recalled it, but Moon could swear he pressed the creature's Pokeball to his lips, just an instant, before sending out a Charizard. She asked her dad, afterwards, if kissing the ball of a fainted Pokemon meant anything. Her dad had laughed and said it was a meaningless affection, one top tier trainers wouldn't waste their time with, especially in such a heated battle.

"Check in tomorrow morning for more updates on this story! Next up, a charming tale of a Unovan Purrloin finding its way back home…"

Melted rubber. Burning rocks. Battlefield dust. Wind. Explosions. Headaches. Fire, fire, fire. And still Red and Blue stood, quiet save the occasional shout of strategy, with calm, dedicated heat pouring off the both of them. Exeggutor fell from the sky, Charizard spiralling down after it.

Pokemon after Pokemon. Heat. Sparks. Chilling, freezing water. Explosions. Red and Blue, radiating energy, radiating strength, radiating calmness, collectivity.

Moon sighed, reaching for the remote to flick off the TV.

The two most powerful men in the world were gay for each other.

She wished they'd leave for Unova. Or Alola. Anywhere, really, where homosexuality was legal. How stupid it would be that their light be diminished by something so insignificant.

But they'd be fine, she knew. People like them, people with true power, couldn't be stopped.

* * *

 ** _Optional Epilogue:_**

Red glanced over at Blue, sunglasses dipping down low on his nose as he sipped his Pina Colada.

"Remember when we were arrested? Back in our twenties?" Blue asked absently, staring at the ocean. "Mew, you were scrawny back them."

Red rolled his eyes, and rolled onto his back to examine the clouds above.

"Not that I'm complaining. I enjoyed kicking your ass at arm wrestling. But damn, remember the arrests? I thought that would be it. End of us."

Red shrugged.

"Then the whole hiding thing. What, three years here before we could return home? That sucked. Well, you know it sucked. You were there too. But still..."

Red nodded.

"Then it was legalized. Us. We were legalized. Our arrest was the best thing that happened for so many people, Red. Because of us, they legalized it. Red. Think about that. Well, I know you have. But do it again. And now here we are, and here's everyone, and it's all..."

Red shifted his gaze back to his husband, who was getting all emotional again. Red smirked.

"It's all done, Red."

"It was done before we were ever arrested, Blue," Red muttered. "Nothing needed to change for us. It was only for them."

* * *

A/N: I don't even know what made me think of this. Sorry if any of these seems inaccurate or dumb, but I kinda liked the idea. Let me know what you thought of it. Anyways, on a totally unrelated note, I caught a shiny Rockruff in Sun today! It's so cute!


End file.
